Suggested Reading
1. Rehearsal Rooms
Struggling to improve the acoustics in your band room? Check out how the Medan Band did it.
2. Concerned about playing swing music properly?
Check out my guidelines
3. Ear training exercises for bands
Unlike piano players, ear training is essential for wind band performers. But how many band directors bother to give their bands suitable exercises?
4. Intonation problems
While tuning is simple act of adjusting a length of tubing on a wind instrument (often by reference to a single note), intonation is an ongoing process in which a player strives to match the pitch of others in the ensemble during performance.
5. “Blowing” a wind instrument
A common misconception among wind players is to believe that the air moves through the instrument in order to produce the sound. This is simply not true.
6. Conducting – suggestions for home practice
The best way for a conductor to improve is in front of a live ensemble. The unfortunate reality, however, is that this is not always possible. Aspiring conductors therefore have little choice but to find other ways of honing their skills.
Suggested Books, Instruments & Accessories
The Ready Position
- Details
- Category: Conducting
- Published on Friday, 15 January 2010 21:40
- Written by Bruce Gale
- Hits: 5722
Stance
Hand and Arm Position
Stance
Standing at the podium, the conductor must transmit a sense of leadership and self-confidence. This is not merely in order to make it easier for him to get the players to respond to his wishes. Equally important is the effect his stance has on the level of confidence both the audience and the ensemble has in him as someone who knows what he or she is doing.
Foot tapping while conducting should be avoided at all costs. It is a visual distraction to the audience and appears amateurish at best. At worst, it suggests a certain rhythmic insecurity. Sometimes, the podium actually amplifies the sound, making the tapping audible. Let the movement of the hands keep time instead.
When conducting, the elbows should be held slightly outwards and forward of the body, not cramped against it. This allows the joints in the shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers to move freely. In the ready position, the forearms should be roughly parallel to the ground or (in the case of shorter conductors) slightly higher so that they are level to the chest. In any case, no portion of any gesture should be so low as to be hidden from view behind a music stand or other obstruction. The hands should be held slightly above the wrist, palm facing the floor and the fingers slightly curved.
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